Happy Halloween!

Every year on Halloween, the coaches dress up for practice and today's outfits were some of the best in recent memory.  The coaches took to mocking some of the players in some interesting ways.  Photos by Brieauna Bradley!

The "Twins" Andrew Clark #32 and Seth Gustafson #25 with Coach Ben Cooprider and Manny the Mannequin

Graham Fisher, Palo Alto native and rabid Stanford fan, and Coach Nate Smith

Coach Tim Hollibaugh as Daniel Ryerson, who once wore a bathrobe to a team meeting

Head Coach Jeff Pedersen as Roland Roger, Ben Cooprider as Andrew Clark and Seth Gustafson, Jason Martinez as John "Minnesota Prepster" Mertes, Darien Bell and Nick Plato as "Beach Boys" Sam Poulos and TJ Schaid, Nate Smith as Graham Fisher, and Tim Hollibaugh as Daniel Ryerson

Photos From Lawrence Game

Official Pioneer Football Photographer Alysia Horcher '15 was on hand Saturday to capture the action, here are some of her best.  As usual, you can see all of Alysia's pictures on her Flickr page.

Pioneers During the National Anthem

Coach Pedersen leads the celebration on the sideline

Clayton Desjardin '15 protects punter Graham Fisher '16

Seth Gustafson attempts to break up a pass

Offensive Huddle

Sam Poulos lets loose on a 68-yard TD pass to Jake Meixler

Coach Hollibaugh and some of the defense watch closely from the sideline

Aamir Walton '15 with a circus catch

Pioneers Lose to Lawrence

One of the beautiful aspects of the Midwest Conference is that any team can win any game no matter the opponent.  And despite having beaten common opponent Monmouth, who Lawrence lost to 56-20, the Pioneers fell at home on Saturday, 24-14.

Sam Poulos '16 and Jacob Meixler '15 accounted for both of Grinnell's touchdowns on passes of 11 and 68 yards.  Poulos completed 12-of-27 passes for 156 yards, while Meixler had 113 yards on seven receptions. TJ Schaid '13 had his second 100-plus yard rushing game in the last three outings as he gained 111 yards on 25 carries.Defensively, David Ternes '15 had a game-high 15 stops and a sack while Drew Blumberg '13 had 11 tackles and Richard Renteria '15 nine.

Final home game is this Saturday against St. Norbert at 1pm.  It's also Senior Day!

Play of the Week

Seth Gustafson's 25-yard interception return for a touchdown got the Pioneers off to a 13-0 start at Carroll this past Saturday and today, it's our Pioneer Football Play of the Week.  Video taken by Lorejune Fernandez.

Enjoy!

Photos From Carroll Game

As usual, Official Pioneer Photographer Alysia Horcher '15 was on hand to take pictures of the big game at Carroll on Saturday.  The following are some of her best.  You can see all her photos on her Flickr page.

Dalton Davies and Sam Poulos congratulate TJ Schaid after his 1st quarter TD 

Seth Gustafson has a convoy of both healthy and injured teammates escorting him to the endzone

Jake Meixler outruns a couple Carroll defenders for a long gain

Jayson Campos jumps into Dalton Davies' arms after Davies TD grab

TJ Schaid gets a nice running lane provided by (L-R) Quinn Rosenthal, Roland Roger, Pierce Gustafson and Morgan Kinsinger

Graham Fisher lets a punt fly against a perfect fall backdrop

Rich Renteria forces a 2nd half fumble which he also recovered

Drew Blumberg sends a Carroll ballcarrier horizontal while Tom Brinkman looks on

Pioneers Fall Just Short at Carroll

Pioneer Kick-Off team set to start the game

After jumping out to a quick start, the Grinnell Pioneers fell short on Saturday afternoon to Carroll's version of the Pioneers by a heart-breaking final score of 21-20.

In what can only be classified as a strange game, Carroll out-gained the visiting Pioneers by more than a 2:1 ratio but after losing the halftime lead, the Scarlet & Black still had chances to get out of Wisconsin victorious but failed to capitalize on a couple scoring chances late in the 4th quarter.

After two tough road losses, the Pioneers will be back at Rosenbloom hosting Lawrence this Saturday at 1pm!  GC Pride!

Full box score here.  Photos and videos to follow later in the week.

Players of the Game:
Special Teams:  Barrett Morrissette - 2 tackles on Punt and Jake Beecher - 3 tackles on Kickoff
Defense:  Rich Renteria - 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
Offense:  Jake Meixler - 5 catches for 74 yards

Play of the Week

This week's Play of the Week is the incredible leap for a 2-point conversion by senior running back TJ Schaid.  Great footage by our filmer Brieauna Bradley, capturing the emotion as the Pioneers cut the Ripon lead early in the 3rd quarter to 24-14!

Photos From Ripon Game

Courtesy of Official Pioneer Football Photographer Alysia Horcher '15!  Visit her Flickr page for all of her photos.

Andrew Clark averaged almost 30 yards per kick return

Colton Feller wraps up a Ripon ball carrier

Graham Fisher was 2-for-2 on FG attempts

Harnak Mann celebrates his first career TD reception

Jake Meixler hauls in his first TD catch

Sam Poulos tiptoes the sideline

Rich Renteria celebrates a Pioneer touchdown

TJ Schaid leaps over the pile for a crucial 2-point conversion

Ripon Runs Down Pioneers

TJ Schaid turns the corner

Heading on the road for only the second time all season, the Pioneers fell to the Ripon Red Hawks 37-21 on Saturday.  In a battle of two ball-control offenses, the hosts were able to turn early drives into touchdowns while the Scarlet & Black settled for two early field goals.  After cutting the lead to 24-14 early in the third quarter, Ripon pulled away after stopping the Pioneers on two separate 4th-downs inside Red Hawk territory.

Next week, it's back on the road to Wisconsin to take on Carroll University!

Players of the Week
Special Teams:  Dalton Davies - blocked FG, 2 special teams tackles
Offense:  TJ Schaid - 109 yards on 22 carries and a 2-pt conversion
Defense:  Daniel Munger  - led defense with 7 tackles
Rookie:    Barrett Morrissette - exceptional lead blocking in the run game
Practice:   Jake Meixler - 2 catches for 37 yards and 1 TD, was Scout Team QB all week in practice

Coach Pedersen and Sam Poulos On KGRN Radio Tonight!

Head Coach Jeff Pedersen and quarterback Sam Poulos '16 will be at the Grinnell Pizza Ranch tonight at 6:30pm to participate in 1410 KGRN's Extra Point Sports Talk show hosted by Chris Varney.  They'll talk about preparing for Ripon College and gearing up for the second half of the season.

You can listen live online here.

D3Football.com Honors Pioneers Twice!

Grinnell's 21-7 victory over Monmouth College on Saturday proved to be twice as nice for the Pioneers when it came to weekly awards from D3football.com.

Wide receiver Cody Weber '13 (left) was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week, while a second-quarter touchdown pass from quarterback Sam Poulos '16 (right) to Weber was tabbed Play of the Week.

The Play of the Week officially covered only 12 yards, but in reality was much more as Poulos scrambled and evaded Fighting Scot defenders before throwing against his body to find Weber in the back of the end zone for a score that would put the Pioneers ahead to stay.

By the time the play was completed, nearly 10 seconds had rolled off the clock.

Weber was named to the Team of the Week after catching 15 passes and scoring twice in the victory. He finished with a game-high 165 receiving yards and, as of last week, ranked fifth nationally in receptions per game and 12th in receiving yards a contest. 

Cody Weber Named MWC Player of the Week

Senior wide receiver Cody Weber was named the Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the 21-7 win over Monmouth on Saturday.

Weber hauled in 15 catches for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns.  For the year, he leads the MWC in receptions per game (8.8) and receiving yards per game (112.8).  Those stats are also good for 5th and 12th, respectively, in the entire NCAA Division III rankings.

See the full MWC release here.

Pioneers Raise $1,124 for Prostate Cancer Research!

Through the month of September, the Pioneer football team grew out their beards to help raise money for prostate cancer research through the national foundation called Septembeard.  The foundation has raised over $250,000 this past month alone and we are proud to say that as a group (players, coaches, parents, friends, alumni) raised $1,124 for the cause!

Thank you to all who donated and supported this great cause!

Of course, we are still taking donations, please click the link above to donate.

And we grew some great beards in the process, but none better than Head Coach Jeff Pedersen!

Pioneers Beat Monmouth!

On a brisk fall day at Rosenbloom Field, the Pioneers defeated the pre-season MWC favorite Monmouth Scots 21-7.

The defense and special teams created great field position all day for the Scarlet & Black, but the play of the game was made by quarterback Sam Poulos and receiver Cody Weber.  Sometimes improvisation is the best play call!



Players of the week:
Practice:             Brendan Ramirez and Nate George - first-year conerbacks that have improved rapidly
Rookie:              Sam Poulos - 28-35 for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns
Special Teams:   Jake Beecher - mistake-free play and 2 tackles playing on 5 of 6 units
Defense:             Colton Feller and David Ternes - combined for 25 tackles and 3.0 TFL
Offense:              Morgan Kinsinger - only one "minus" play and Cody Weber - 15 catches for 165 yards and 2 TDs.

Photos and more stories to come.

Schaid Named Semi-Finalist for NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award!

Senior running back TJ Schaid '13 is one of 41 Division III nominees for the National Football Foundation's National Scholar-Athlete Award.

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.

The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 16 recipients, and the results will be announced via a national press release on Thursday, Oct. 25. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and they will vie as finalists for the 2012 William V. Campbell Trophy.

Each member of the 2012 National Scholar-Athlete Class will also travel to New York City be honored Dec. 4 during the 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. One member of the class will also be announced live at the event as the winner of the Campbell Trophy.

Schaid, an All-Midwest Conference performer as a sophomore, was limited the following season due to injury. He is back at full strength in 2012 and is the Pioneers' leading rusher with 248 yards while ranking second in receptions with 15. 

Fisher Interview

Grinnell College Sports Information Director Ted Schultz interviewed MWC Special Teams Player of the Week Graham Fisher '16:

Photos From Beloit Game

Official Pioneer Football Photographer Alysia Horcher '15 was on hand Saturday to take some more quality action photos.  Here are some of the best.  Visit her Flickr page for all photos from all games!

Jayson Campos outraces two Beloit defenders on his way to the endzone

Graham Fisher drills a 50-yard FG attempt with aid from Cody Weber (holder) and Dalton Davies

Kevin Hwang recovers one of the 4 fumbles by the Pioneer defense

TJ Schaid gets a crease from Pierce Gustafson and Morgan Kinsinger

David Ternes wraps up a Beloit ballcarrier

Nate George celebrates the Pioneer victory!

Graham Fisher Named MWC Player of the Week!

Pioneer kicker/punter Graham Fisher was named MWC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the Grinnell victory at Beloit on Saturday.

Fisher booted a 50-yard field goal, just 5 yards shy of the school record, as the Pioneers collected their first victory of the season with a 13-7 decision at Beloit College.  His field goal came in the first quarter and staked the guests to an early 3-0 lead.  He also punted four times for a 39.0 yard average and averaged 59.2 yards per kickoff.  For the season, he leads the MWC in kickoff average at 61.5 yards per kick

and in touchbacks with four.

Here's the Midwest Conference Release.

Pioneers Top Beloit!

Kevin Hwang, Andrew Clark and Seth Gustafson celebrate one of the Pioneers' 4 fumble recoveries

Stellar defense, a big play and a big kick helped guide the Pioneers to a 13-7 win on the road Saturday against Beloit College!

Safety Drew Blumberg led the Grinnell defense with 10 tackles and one interception, while the rest of the unit forced 5 Buccaneer fumbles recovering 4 of them.  Quarterback Sam Poulos and receiver Jayson Campos hooked up for a 67 yard touchdown in the 2nd quarter, taking back the lead for good.  Kicker Graham Fisher opened the scoring by drilling a 50-yard field goal on the opening drive of the game.

Full box score here.  More photos and video to follow later in the week!


Players of the Week:
Defense:              Drew Blumberg - 10 tackles, 1 INT and Tom Brinkman - 3 tackles, 1 fumble recovered
Offense:              TJ Schaid - 82 yards rushing on 24 carries
Practice:              Ki Harris - developing into a great leader, added 3 tackles on Saturday
Rookie:               Sam Poulos - 14-24 for 164 yards and 1 TD

Grinnell Named One of North America's Best College Towns!

MSN.com recently published their list of the 10 Best College Towns In North America and, you guessed it, Grinnell, Iowa made the list:

Here’s a list of college towns so quintessential that some of the students walking across the quad for the first time will one day call them home.

Grinnell, Iowa

Though we often tout a large university’s impact on its home city, a small college’s influence on its rural community can prove even greater. An agricultural town with just over 9,000 people, Grinnell offers its residents a historical museum, art gallery and community theater in tandem with opportunities to attend symposiums, tour rotating cultural exhibits and take in live theater and musical performances at Bucksbaum Center for the Arts at Grinnell College, long considered one of the finest small colleges in the country. The college is situated on the prairie, equidistant from Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, but conversations here often reference faraway places, a benefit of this progressive college’s study-abroad program and top national rank among small colleges for future Peace Corps volunteers.